1920 LONDON

YellowSariGiddy comedy/horror mash-up from India has all the familiar Bollywood elements–gorgeous people dancing around sumptuous sets–so expect it to be what it is… and enjoy. (JLH: 3.5/5)

Review by FF2 Managing Editor Jan Lisa Huttner 

“Princess Shivangi” (Meera Chopra) arrives at her family home, runs up the stairs, and throws herself into the arms of her astonished mother. Her father is alarmed. Her brothers are enraged. Surely Shivangi must know that now that she is married to “Veer Singh” (Vishal Karwal), her place is with her husband??? What will her in-laws think when they learn she has returned to India… alone?!?

As the opening credits roll, Shivangi pleads with them to pity her predicament: Life in London with Veer Singh was perfect. He was a model student (receiving his law degree with honors) and a model husband (showering her with affection). Picnics on green English lawns! Dances in ornate English ballrooms! Sex in their grand English mansion (but never any kissing of course), followed by dreams of the children to come!

But after announcing the name of director Dharmendra Suresh Desai on the screen, the music suddenly stops.

One day, out of the blue, Shivangi and Veer Singh receive an expensive gift from India. It is a beautiful amulet from an unknown source and while they sleep, dark vapors seep from the center of the amulet and radiate down hallways and up staircases. Sensing danger, Veer Singh rises from their bed and slowly walks though ominous, dawn-lit rooms. Suddenly he sees a crow perched on a tree just outside the room with the amulet. The crow begins to craw and Veer Singh doubles over in pain.

Shivangi rushes Veer Singh to a hospital where white-coated doctors babble in English about tetanus, but Shivangi knows better. This is Black Magic… she knows the answer must lie in India… And now we are all caught up!

Writer Sukhmani Sadana (working from a story by Vikram Bhatt and assisted with dialogue from Girish Dhamija) has produced a screenplay that does everything required to keep things moving from start to finish. Her heroine is beautiful and brave, passionate and virtuous, and having been run through her paces for two hours, Shivangi is fully deserving of her happy ending. BlackTub

But none of this would be half as much fun without the work of master choreographer Harish Shetty (assisted by a newbee named Pratap), and a visual design team lead by art director/production designer Jayant Deshmukh and costume designer Falguni Thakore.

I went into my screening cold, so I had no idea until later that 1920: London is actually the third in a series that began with Vikram Bhatt’s original 1920 (from 2008), which he followed with 1920: The Evil Returns (in 2012). So I was a bit mystified by the invocation of the year “1920” when some of the cars and clothing suggest a more current date. But even as I watched, I knew not to be worried by anything overly logical. 1920: London is fun for fun’s sake, loosely tied to an already successful franchise. As far as I can tell, the director, the screenwriter, most of the crew, and all of the cast members are new.

One negative: If you are into special effects, then stay home. Although I am not the best source on this subject, even I could tell that Dharmendra Suresh Desai‘s idea of demonic possession had not advanced much beyond The Exorcist. What happened to poor Regan scared the %$#@ out of me way back in 1974, but at this point, watching Veer Singh undergo the very same torments just looks silly. And needless to say, Veer Singh–forced to spend most of the film covered in goop–is not the actual hero of 1920: London.

The male lead is Sharman Joshi (an award-winning comedian), who stars as “Jai Singh Gujjar.” Jai is the commoner who dared to love a princess. Remember Shivangi’s awful brothers? For this transgression, they had Jai sent to prison for five years, and that’s where he learned the secrets of the dark side.

This part of the story is told midway through in an extended flashback–more singing! more dancing!–when Shivangi pleads with Jai to return to London with her to save her husband. Then Jai summons the crows in an obvious homage to The Birds (my all-time favorite Hitchcock film), and the moment filled me with an adrenaline rush of pure pleasure that propelled me full speed ahead to the grand finale.

© Jan Lisa Huttner FF2 Media (5/13/16)

CandlePrayers

Top Photo: Meera Chopra as luminous “Princess Shivangi.”

Middle Photo: As virtuous as she is beautiful, Shivangi bravely faces danger in order to save her husband.

Bottom Photo: Shivangi convinces Jai (Sharman Joshi) to use this powers on her behalf. They pray for success in India and then head to London.

Photo Credits: Reliance Entertainment

Q: Does 1920 London pass the Bechdel-Wallace Test?

Not really.

There is one brief scene in which Shivangi’s London companion “Tantrik” (Gajendra Chauhan) offers a half-baked story about Veer Singh’s supposedly evil stepmother. But once Shivangi is in India, she never has any contact with anyone in Veer Singh’s family, so Tantrik’s explanation of events in London become a red herring which somehow escaped the eyes of the editor.

On the other hand, the opening moments seemed to promise mother/daughter scenes, but if they were ever filmed, they never made it to the screen.

501 comments

  9. Way cool! Some extremely valid points! I appreciate you writing this article and also the
    rest of the website is also very good.

    Feel free to surf to my website; ap exam (Luisa)

    Reply

  12. Hi, i feel that i noticed you visited my web site so i came to ?go back
    the favor?.I’m trying to in finding issues to enhance my web site!I
    suppose its adequate to make use of a few of your concepts!!

    My blog; exam day tips (Maurine)

    Reply

  13. Hi, i feel that i noticed you visited my site thus i got here to ?go back the want?.I’m trying to to find things to enhance my website!I
    suppose its good enough to make use of a few of your concepts!!

    Also visit my homepage … nortel study guide (Teresita)

    Reply

  19. hey there and thank you for your information ?
    I have certainly picked up something new from right
    here. I did however expertise a few technical points using this website, as I experienced to reload the website a lot
    of times previous to I could get it to load correctly.
    I had been wondering if your hosting is OK? Not that I’m complaining, but
    slow loading instances times will sometimes affect your placement in google and can damage your high-quality score if ads and marketing with Adwords.
    Anyway I’m adding this RSS to my e-mail and could look out for much
    more of your respective interesting content. Make sure you update this again soon.

    Also visit my webpage :: california bar exam (Penelope)

    Reply

  22. Oh my goodness! Awesome article dude! Thanks, However I am experiencing problems with your RSS.
    I don’t understand why I cannot subscribe to it.
    Is there anybody getting the same RSS issues?

    Anyone who knows the answer will you kindly respond? Thanx!!

    Here is my web site; cpc exam (ko-fi.com)

    Reply

  24. I don’t even know the way I stopped up here, but I
    believed this put up was once great. I do not know who you’re however definitely you are going to a famous blogger in the
    event you aren’t already. Cheers!

    my web-site – certified professionals (Cornell)

    Reply

  37. all the time i used to read smaller articles that as well clear their
    motive, and that is also happening with this post which I am reading now.

    Feel free to surf to my web-site afqt exam; Lyle,

    Reply

  39. First off I would like to say fantastic blog!
    I had a quick question in which I’d like to ask if you don’t mind.

    I was curious to find out how you center yourself and clear your thoughts
    prior to writing. I’ve had a tough time clearing my
    thoughts in getting my ideas out. I truly do take pleasure in writing however it just seems like the first 10 to 15 minutes are lost simply just trying to figure out how to begin. Any suggestions or tips?
    Appreciate it!

    my website :: massage certification (Emely)

    Reply

  41. Hi there, just became alert to your blog through Google, and
    found that it is really informative. I?m gonna watch out for
    brussels. I will be grateful if you continue
    this in future. Many people will be benefited from
    your writing. Cheers!

    my web page – oracle certification (Tiffany)

    Reply

  42. Admiring the commitment you put into your site and detailed information you
    offer. It’s awesome to come across a blog every once in a while that isn’t
    the same out of date rehashed information. Fantastic read!
    I’ve saved your site and I’m adding your RSS feeds to my Google account.

    Also visit my blog post; pmp exam (wanelo.co)

    Reply

  43. Appreciating the dedication you put into your website and detailed information you offer.
    It’s good to come across a blog every once in a while that isn’t the same
    out of date rehashed information. Wonderful read! I’ve saved
    your site and I’m including your RSS feeds to my Google account.

    Look into my web site; exin certification (Daryl)

    Reply

  44. Цены на услуги и консультации психолога.
    Консультация у психолога Психотерапия онлайн!
    Психолог,Психолог онлайн. Психолог,Психолог онлайн.
    Онлайн-консультация у психолога.
    Консультация по Skype. Консультация Психолога – Профессиональная поддержка.

    Reply

    1. Greetings, I think your web site may be having web browser compatibility issues. Whenever I take a look at your site in Safari, it looks fine however, when opening in Internet Explorer, it has some overlapping issues. I just wanted to provide you with a quick heads up! Apart from that, wonderful website!

      Reply

  55. Hola! I’ve been following your website for a long time now and finally got
    the bravery to go ahead and give you a shout out from Houston Texas!
    Just wanted to mention keep up the excellent work!

    My web blog :: cna training – Roseanna
    –

    Reply

  60. First off I would like to say superb blog!
    I had a quick question which I’d like to ask if you don’t mind.
    I was interested to know how you center yourself
    and clear your mind prior to writing. I have had a hard time clearing my mind in getting my thoughts out.

    I truly do enjoy writing however it just seems like the first 10 to
    15 minutes tend to be wasted just trying to figure out how to begin. Any suggestions or hints?
    Many thanks!

    Take a look at my webpage pmp certification, wanelo.co,

    Reply

  61. hello there and thank you for your information ?

    I have certainly picked up something new from right here.
    I did however expertise several technical issues using this website, as I experienced to reload the website many times
    previous to I could get it to load correctly. I had been wondering if your hosting is OK?

    Not that I’m complaining, but sluggish loading instances times will
    very frequently affect your placement in google and could
    damage your quality score if ads and marketing with Adwords.
    Anyway I’m adding this RSS to my email and can look out for much more of your
    respective fascinating content. Ensure that you update this
    again very soon.

    Have a look at my web-site project manager (Bernard)

    Reply

  63. Admiring the time and energy you put into your blog and
    in depth information you offer. It’s good to
    come across a blog every once in a while that isn’t the same unwanted rehashed information. Wonderful read!

    I’ve bookmarked your site and I’m including your RSS feeds to my Google account.

    Here is my homepage – prepare for cpc exam (Virgie)

    Reply

  65. First off I want to say great blog! I had a quick question in which I’d like to ask if you do
    not mind. I was interested to find out how you center yourself and clear
    your mind prior to writing. I’ve had a difficult time clearing my mind
    in getting my thoughts out. I do take pleasure in writing but it just seems like the
    first 10 to 15 minutes are lost just trying to figure out how
    to begin. Any ideas or hints? Thanks!

    Have a look at my web site 312-50 exam

    Reply

  70. Oh my goodness! Amazing article dude! Thank
    you so much, However I am encountering problems with your RSS.

    I don’t know the reason why I can’t subscribe to it. Is there anybody
    getting the same RSS problems? Anyone who knows the solution can you kindly respond?

    Thanks!!

    Look at my blog post … msce training (Freddie)

    Reply

  71. Admiring the dedication you put into your blog and detailed information you provide.
    It’s nice to come across a blog every once in a while that isn’t the same out of date rehashed material.
    Great read! I’ve bookmarked your site and I’m including your RSS feeds to my Google account.

    Here is my web blog: pmp exams

    Reply

  72. First off I want to say terrific blog! I had a quick
    question that I’d like to ask if you do not mind.
    I was interested to know how you center yourself
    and clear your thoughts prior to writing. I have had difficulty clearing my mind in getting my thoughts out there.
    I truly do take pleasure in writing however it just seems like the first
    10 to 15 minutes tend to be wasted simply just trying to figure out how to
    begin. Any suggestions or tips? Kudos!

    Stop by my page :: 000-200 exam (http://www.longisland.com)

    Reply

  74. Oh my goodness! Amazing article dude! Thank you so much, However I
    am encountering difficulties with your RSS. I don’t know the
    reason why I am unable to subscribe to it. Is there anybody having identical RSS issues?
    Anyone who knows the solution can you kindly respond? Thanx!!

    Here is my page :: test content

    Reply
  98. Pingback: sex android games

  106. I really like your blog.. very nice colors & theme.
    Did you create this website yourself or did you hire someone to do it for you?
    Plz answer back as I’m looking to create my own blog and would like to find out where u got this from.

    appreciate it

    Review my website pass mcitp certification (Kenton)

    Reply

  107. I simply needed to thank you very much again. I’m not
    certain the things I could possibly have implemented
    without the type of techniques documented by you
    about my theme. This was a very horrifying case in my position, however , viewing the very expert fashion you treated that made me to cry with delight.
    Now i’m happier for your support and in addition wish you really know what a great job that you’re doing teaching
    people using your web site. I know that you have never come across
    all of us.

    Feel free to surf to my website vcp510 exams – Blair,

    Reply

  111. Hi there, just became alert to your blog through Google,
    and found that it is truly informative. I?m gonna
    watch out for brussels. I will appreciate if you continue this
    in future. Numerous people will be benefited from your writing.
    Cheers!

    Here is my blog career coaching (Houston)

    Reply

  112. First of all I want to say great blog! I had a quick question that I’d
    like to ask if you don’t mind. I was interested to know how you center yourself and clear your thoughts before writing.
    I’ve had difficulty clearing my thoughts in getting my thoughts out.
    I do take pleasure in writing but it just seems like the
    first 10 to 15 minutes are usually lost simply just trying
    to figure out how to begin. Any suggestions or tips?
    Thanks!

    Here is my web site; mcse jobs

    Reply

  122. Hello there, just became alert to your blog through Google, and found that it is really informative.
    I?m going to watch out for brussels. I?ll appreciate if
    you continue this in future. A lot of people will be benefited from your writing.
    Cheers!

    My web site: police careers (Kimberley)

    Reply

  125. I love your blog.. very nice colors & theme. Did you make this website yourself or did you hire someone to
    do it for you? Plz answer back as I’m looking to design my own blog and would like to know where u
    got this from. thank you

    My web-site microsoft exam preparation (Ramon)

    Reply

  130. Hello! I’ve been reading your weblog for some time now
    and finally got the bravery to go ahead and give you a shout out from
    Humble Texas! Just wanted to say keep up the good job!

    my web blog; police jobs (Tomas)

    Reply

  131. You are so awesome! I don’t suppose I’ve read through a single thing like
    that before. So great to discover someone with a plus certification few genuine thoughts on this topic.
    Seriously.. thanks for starting this up. This site is something that is
    needed on the web, someone with some originality!

    Reply

  202. I loved up to you will receive carried out proper here.

    The sketch is tasteful, your authored subject matter stylish.

    nevertheless, you command get got an nervousness over
    that you wish be turning in the following. sick definitely
    come more beforehand once more since precisely the similar nearly a lot
    often inside of case you shield this hike.

    Here is my website diagram (https://tinyurl.com/)

    Reply

  224. Новинки фільми, серіали, мультфільми 2021 року, які
    вже вийшли Ви можете дивитися українською на нашому сайті Link

    Reply
  411. Pingback: 2impiety

Leave a Reply to Evaleenmaoi Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *